Car For Sale On Ebay

[swan]

hi all

 

From what i have read it's best we don't hold our breath

 

waiting for any confirmation or denials.

 

swan

[Peter Bell]

Sadly, I get the impression that this sort of activity is not unknown in world of Hot Rods.

[Guest gdc]

the problem is that we are in a closed loop situation

 

warwick if indeed this is his car does not have to come on here and defend his position.,

as he is free to carry out his daily duties and then disapear to another country,

so if he if it is his car does and not want to answer for his actions does not have to.

but i would appeal to his concience to do the right thing

 

 

peter

 

i used to race hot rods ??????????

[Guest warwick7735]

Hi all

 

First of all lets just say that I now know why this club is going down the pan, your all speculating what can and cant be done without knowing the real facts. So below I will give a couple of examples then explain my situation.

 

Eg1

I see a rusting MGB in a field its full of holes and has been stripped bare of all the major components. MG no longer makes this car so I come across Bill Bloggs motors who sell MGB shells and panels, I purchase one shell and necessary panels along with any other components. I then scour EBAY and any other classifieds for engine, gearbox and any other parts I need even lights and glass interior trim. When the car is finished I then take it along to get it MOTd , I insure the car and get my Road tax. The car is still an MGB its not now called a Bill Blogg special. This car doesn’t need an SVA as its been on the road already and is already registered.

 

Eg2

 

I’m one of the boy racing fraternity, I have a Renault Clio. One day I decide to take my angle grinder to my car and decide to add 6 inch wide arches all around, I take the back seats out and put a V8 engine in the back. I put gull wing doors on and put a huge vent in the bonnet. This now doesn’t change from being a Renault Clio I just notify DVLA of the new cc of the engine and the new engine number. Visually it looks like no other Clio on the road but its still registered as such.

 

Now my case

 

I restore classic cars, Minis mostly, as I was searching for my next project I came across a series 2 lotus in very sorry shape. It looked like it had been used for racing or auto testing sometime in its past. The engine was not original crossflow but was fitted with a pinto and it had a 4-speed box. As Lotus no longer does the 7 I inquired to caterham. They again couldn’t help only offering me a later chassis, and by the time I’d purchased all these from caterham we were talking a second mortgage. I found out about the LW and liked the way it was made, the weight saving, speed of build along with the cost of course made it viable. So this I bought. I didn’t have a donor sierra I bought parts brand new, some from caterham themselves. The engine came from the original chassis diff I sourced along with the 5-speed box. I completed the car and did what I would do in Eg1.

 

You may say its not genuine as its not made from lotus parts, but lotus no longer makes the parts, just as in the MG example above it can still be classed as one as it was originally registered as one.

 

You might say it doesn’t look exactly like one or the dimensions are a few centimetres out here and there, well take a look again at Eg2 the Renault doesn’t look like any other car but it doesn’t matter because it has already been registered.

 

I think a lot of you have got the impression you can just say that your car is a lotus or a Ferrari and that’s it, but its not. I started out with an original car and have rebuilt it. I used RH to supply me the parts. I could of quite easily made the parts in my garage, if I did would you all like to see me register it as a Warwick Special, I don’t think so.

 

The advert on Ebay states exactly what the car is a lotus 7 rebuilt using a lightweight chassis and modern parts. So to all those who say I should withdraw the advert think again I’ve described it perfectly.

 

If I was selling my MGB would I have to sell it saying it was made from a Bill Bloggs shell NO.

 

I suggest you all get back in you garage and do something useful before commenting on something you know nothing about. Not one of you have had the decency to PM me and ask me direct you all just chit chat amongst yourselves. It’s a sad show when I find this going on.

 

Hope this clears the situation up, and stop asking me stupid questions on EBAY. Already had 2 people round today and they liked the car, and knew what they were buying.

[enforcer]

The first question has now appeared on the listing:

 

Q: hi there. lovely car. has it been put through an sva test? what is the mileage of the engine and gearbox? would you be interested in taking an offer?

14-Jan-07

A: Hi MOT only needed as I wasn't putting a new car on the road, just rebuilding an old one. As series 2 & 3 lotus chassis are unavailable, and caterham cant do them either I went the route I did for cost and the ingenuity of the whole thing. Mileage of engine is unknown, this was removed from the original chassis, but again this wouldn't of been a standard fit on the car as it should of been a ford 1600 crossflow, so hence was changed sometime during its life. The engine was fitted as a temporary measure as I was going to get around to putting a modified unit in, but it still does 0-60 in under 6 secs so am more than happy with the performance. Gearbox was sourced from a breakers to replace the 4 speed unit which came with the car. You can make a bid, I have set a reasonable reserve if it matches it its yours. My reserve is what these type of seven inspired cars go for. I'm not asking genuine lotus 7 money because I know its not, it's been rebuilt as the description states but its the next best thing. Hope that answers your question and hopefully a few other peoples questions to. Many thanks Stu

 

Not putting a new car on the road?

 

Both your examples are not relevant to this case. You are not replacing a Lotus chassis with a Lotus chassis. The fact that the RH Lightweight looks like a Lotus 7 does not make it a Lotus. For the record would you mind clarifying exactly which Lotus components you have used to 'rebuild'? I'd love to know what Caterham thinks about this!

 

Sorry Pal, but this reeks of dishonesty and you proceed at your own peril. I for one will not stand by and watch you dupe someone into buying this car which we all know has not had ministry approval. If VOSA are right about the structural integrity of the seat belt mountings (and we have to accept that they are) you are selling a death-trap, by deceiving buyers into believing it is a type-approved registered Lotus.

[Guest gdc]

warwick

 

the car looks great .

but it is far from being a lotus 7.

 

pinto no

 

5 speed box no

 

you have circomvented the system and any purchacer should be made aware of this

[Guest tom2b]

Your examples are a load of *bleep*s, the car is a flaming lightweight through and through.

It sickens me to think so many of us on here went through all the rigmoral and hours of hard work to get an sva approved car. You cheated no matter how much you tart it up. The only true lotus 7 bit you had is the log book.

[Guest gdc]

tom 2b

 

your not wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

the thing is that to date 1067 people have viewed the sale.

and any one of them could think their buying a lotus 7

 

THEIR NOT

[Guest tom2b]

Yeah, its more than misleading. But i dont really think warwick cares anyway.

[Guest mastarforth]

warwick

 

your points surely are only vaild if you are using replacement parts from the original manufacturer.

 

If you have found a loop hole in the system we will all take our hats off and follow your route. Your comments in eg1 to me are not valid in this case. MG are no longer trading, Lotus / caterham both are, and can offer you a replacement but for money reasons (by your own admission) you chose a robin hood. A MG heritage body shell is taken from original dyes bought when MG went into the ground, a robin hood light weight body /chassis is not taken from a lotus 7.

 

From my understanding of the lightweight the chassis is formed integral to the body, therefore surely this is a completely different vehicle, you now have a new gear box, new chassis and new body. It takes 3 major items to enable an sva'd car to get an age related plate and yet form what I can see you would not have this.

 

I can potentially understand your thinking well this is just an original vehicle that has been rebodied, but I think this can only be legal if you have found a loop hole in the SVA system.

 

I am sure no body would have a problem if you advertised this as a robin hood lightweight, but to advertise this as a lotus 7 rebodied is just not true. This is a new car, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a 1969 motor, and most certainly should not get road tax free as an age realter vehicle

 

off soap box

 

sorry warwich I jus thtink this is unfair to advertise this this way

[Guest gdc]

SUDENLY THE E BAY COUNTERS HAVE GONE

 

ohh and ian has just arrived another lightweight basher

[Guest DRC7]

I seem to remember that warwick was boasting the fact that he was the 2nd person to get his car through the SVA test other that RHSC seems he good at telling the story

 

 

 

The heritage shell that you are refering to warwick is made to the original diamensions of the MGB shell with the original tooling that heritage bought from rover there by when you purchase a heritage shell and rebuild the vehicle it will still be a MGB

 

 

Your attempt at ripping of the lotus name is a joke a Robin hood lightweight kit is just that at robin hood NOT A LOTUS I have spent 17 years in the trade and also did many restoration projects over the years from aston martins to wolseleys to know that you talk a lot of rubbish

[Guest gdc]

say what you mean

 

 

hi ian

[Longboarder]

I think I might just bid on it.

 

Nigel

[Guest warwick7735]

I thought people were on here to share an interest, I’ve only ever helped people on this site, it seems as though as soon as your back is turned you get stabbed in it. It seems that some but not all are pi55ed because you have to pay road tax and had to get your SVA, well you knew that before you bought it.

 

I’ve been rebuilding and restoring cars for 15 years and have completed 17 in that period, one scratch built space frame job (all registered what they were originally). I’ve won 2 trophies and appeared on one video, all with happy new owners, and not one of the cars has shown as much interest as this one, and it’s not for the good either.

 

To all those that posted sensible quotes I’d like to say sorry if it seems as though I’m picking on you, I’m not. My quotes are directed to the ones above who are feeling hard done by, and are spouting off without knowing the facts. Classic cars are put back on the road everyday, and they are not re-registered by the manufacturers of the body or shell. Just because they are heritage shells doesn’t mean the actual manufacture made them. I could go and buy copy parts, which aren’t made to the same spec and make a shell myself. I went to RH, could of easily been any other manufacturer and they supplied the panels and that’s what I used. Caterham couldn’t supply me with a series 2 chassis only a later one which the parts wouldn’t fit to. They wanted mega money to supply the said parts. If I had gone and done it that way it’s no different to the way I’ve done it now, Caterham isn’t lotus they bought the rights to sell the car when lotus stopped producing it, and anybody who thinks they are, are wrong.

 

If I was to of bought myself some 1” box section and fabricated a chassis in my garage and clad it with aluminium, similar to a locost you wouldn’t of minded (I wish I had done it would have been easier to make things fit), but as I bought a RH it seems as though you are all miffed. And by the way a car is what it says on the logbook so if you want you can call your car Marjorie, it doesn’t have to be a Westfield or a RH just because you bought it from them. I haven’t done anything wrong, basically to simplify what DVLA said to me was that if the original parts are no longer available and you can get similar parts made either by yourself or elsewhere you can use them as long as the appearance of the car doesn’t detract from the original, and that the layout isn’t changed i.e. 2 axle, 2 seater convertible. We go back to my MGB example.

 

 

All the cars I restore are perfectly safe whether I’m making my own parts on the lathe or cutting them on the miller. And I wouldn’t sell anything that wasn’t 100% safe, so all those that go on about my conscience you need not worry. You say because it hasn’t been SVAd its unsafe, lots of classic cars if you put them in for SVA would fail. My TR6 would fail, but it doesn’t make it unsafe, its just not required. I bet most of you have passed your SVA and then taken all the things off that made it pass in the first place like nut covers, and steering pads etc. So is your car now deemed unsafe, as it wouldn’t pass its test now? No it doesn’t.

 

 

I cant believe how much bad feeling there is on this site, I can remember reading somewhere about this, I think it was either on the locosters site or Westfield, and now I can see it for real. I will let you all now tittle tattle amongst your selves. Once again sorry to the ones who are innocent, it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the barrel.

 

I’ve got a TR6 here as well for sale it was built using a second-hand chassis from the states, not the original, new Moss shell and panels. Its still registered as a Triumph TR6 though so I assume the hard done by ones aren’t interested as you would want it to be registered as a Moss special and to go through an SVA test.

 

And if you read the advert I’m not selling it as a genuine or original lotus 7, but one rebuilt using new parts. So I’m not deluding anybody, maybe the ones who think I am cant see past their nose.